If you beat out movies while you’re watching them to see how they work, you might think there’s something to the whole formula thing. There is, partly. Eventually. But it doesn’t have anything to do with developing your story, or even writing your script. Here’s a story: Writer friend gets a great idea. Whips out…
Read moreREALLY HAVE YOUR PROTAG MAKE SOME NOISE
Honestly, if your character can accomplish everything they set out to do without leaving any sign of a struggle…it really wasn’t that important.
Read moreTHE AFF PITCH PARTY
A capacity crowd at The Speakeasy, Austin. Literally. People are waiting outside to get it. It’s packed to the rafters. Directly in front of you, John Hamburg. Zak Penn and Lindsay Doran. Ready to score your pitch numerically to find a winner from among the finalists, and critique your story and performance. In front of…
Read moreScriptnotes Live at Austin
Scriptnotes at johnaugust.com This was a live Scriptnotes for the immensely fun and useful podcast, so if you listen to it, you will be able to hear me screaming with laughter. The guests were amazing writer/director Rian Johnson and writer Kelly Marcel. Since you will be able to listen to the whole thing, I won’t…
Read moreOH, HAVE YOU WRITTEN ANY MOVIES I’VE SEEN?
ASK A WRITER WHAT’S FOR DINNER
AND THE SUBPLOTS JUST KEEP COMING
New York Women in Film & Television: Notes from a Screenreader
New York Women in Film & Television: Notes from a Screenreader nywift: photo via Go Into the Story Real conflict is critical to getting your script past the first round of readers in a competition. All competition specs have an idea and an intent. Few of them deliver an emotional experience of that intent because…
Read moreWITCHES BURNING IN SALEM, DEFIBRILLATORS ON FLATLINING PATIENTS, EMBASSIES BEING FOREIGN SOIL, ANYTHING ABOUT HACKING OR CLONES OR VACCINES OR SOMEONE ELSE’S RELIGIOUS BELIEFS. OR THE LAWS OF PHYSICS.
Watching movies doesn’t count!
Read moreLITERALLY NO ONE CARES ABOUT NICE
Which you know if you’ve ever tried to make someone like you by being nice. You can make a story out of: A nice person diving into the nasty pool A nasty person doing laps in the nasty pool A nasty person climbing out of the nasty pool for a redeeming purpose But there is…
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